Glossary

HIBS

| Richard Haas

HIBS or High Altitude IMT Base Stations are a subset of HAPS (High-altitude platform systems) which operate as mobile base stations. Sometimes referred to as “towers in the sky”, they can connect directly to devices on the ground as a terrestrial mobile network would.

HAPS are defined by the ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as radio stations located on an object at an altitude of 20-50 kilometres and at a specified, nominal, fixed point relative to the Earth.

Example of a HIBS object (Source: ITU)

Proponents of HIBS say they can be used for a variety of use cases, including covering previously uncovered areas with 5G, emergency communications in the case of natural disasters, and private networks. The technology is being developed by companies such as SoftBank and aircraft giant Airbus.

WRC-23 decided to allow HIBS to share some mobile bands with mobile broadband (IMT). The technology now has access to the 694—960 MHz, 1710—1885 MHz and 2500—2690 MHz bands. However, HIBS providers will need to reach a sharing agreement with the spectrum holders in this band as they are typically used by mobile operators.

Glossary Term